Movies high on EQ

From the Bengali Film Industry, comes another intricate tale, which successfully explores sensitivity in relationships. Director Sanjoy Nag’s debut project, Memories In March, combines the talents of Deepti Naval, Rituparno Ghosh and Raima Sen on screen.

Death plays an essential role in the captivating narrative of the movie, but has been dealt in an extremely unique manner. The movie begins with a death in a family leading to a mother in mourning to move in with her homosexual son, who still hasn’t come out of the closet. The film stands out from other contemporary movies and deals with the issue of homosexuality with seriousness. The soundtrack of the movie is apt and adds to the consistent dilemma within the minds of the characters in the movie.

The instrumental versions of Tagore’s ‘Eki labonye purno’ and the famous Bollywood track, ‘Yeh raatein, yeh mausam’, in particular, are notable. The dialogues have been brilliantly penned down and are nowhere close to being clichés. As far as the acting goes, every single character has delivered stellar performances and that is what again enriches the quality of the film.

Despite of not having a very crucial part in the movie, Raima Sen does justice to her character and keeps the story moving without slowing down its pace. Bottom line — Memories In March strikes the right chords without any melodrama. Watch out for Naval’s inconstant poise and Ghosh’s splendid performance.

The writer is part of the Mumbai Film Festival's (MAMI) Young Critics’ Programme, an initiative of HT Cafe.

Film Review: Sweet Evil (France)Directed by: Oliver Coussemacq

Nikita Periwal

Sweet Evil is essentially a movie that deals with the emotional evolution of a human being. Do we exchange all our innocence with desire and manipulation? French artiste Oliver Coussemacq puts forth this idea on 35mm, describing under what circumstances a young child becomes manipulative and deceitful when dealing with her peers at school.

The main protagonist is a 15-year-old teenager, whose mother is in prison and she is on the run, avoiding foster homes. The character invites empathy from the viewer, as you constantly discover various facets of her personality revealing that she is not just a simple teenage, but a multi–layered personality constantly scheming and plotting all the while, projecting herself to be a helpless, homeless victim who wins over the sympathy and understanding of others.

The film tactfully explores human emotions, portraying how love and revenge are interdependent on one another. It follows a simple narrative. Definitely a movie worth a watch to understand the finer nuances of the complex human mind!

The writer is part of the Mumbai Film Festival's (MAMI) Young Critics’ Programme, an initiative of HT Cafe.